Fort Winfield Scott (2)

Fort Winfield Scott (2) (1912-1994) - An Endicott Period Coastal Fort established in 1912 on San Francisco Peninsula, San Francisco County, California. Named Fort Winfield Scott after Major General Winfield Scott. Abandoned in 1994.

Fort Winfield Scott During Golden Gate Bridge Construction (upper half of photo)
Fort Winfield Scott Administration Building and Barracks

Endicott Period (1890-1910)

Part of the Harbor Defense of San Francisco.

The recommendations of the Endicott Board resulted in a massive construction program on Fort Winfield Scott that built some eighteen concrete coastal gun batteries over a period of thirty years. The boundaries of the fort expanded to encompass all of the new gun batteries but additional batteries to the south resulted in the creation of two new forts, Fort Miley and Fort Funston. The northern side of the Golden Gate has a similar expansion during this period at Fort Baker and with the creation of Fort Barry and later, Fort Cronkhite.

**Fort Winfield Scott Endicott Period Battery** (edit list)
Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Battery Cost	Notes
Battery Dynamite (3)	3	15"	Barbette	1894-1900-1900-1904	$ 127,137
Battery Lancaster	2 1	12"	Disappearing	1898-1900-1900-1918 1896-1898-1899-1918	$ 107,409	Part buried for bridge
Battery Godfrey	3	12"	Barbette	1892-1896-1896-1942	$ 299,862
Battery Saffold	2	12"	Barbette	1897-1897-1898-1942	$ 107,409
Battery Howe (1)	16	12"	Mortar	1893-1895-1900-1920	$ 144,247	1 mortar pit remains Pits C & D redesignated Battery Wagner (1) 1906
Battery Wagner (1)	8	12"	Mortar	1893-1895-1900-1920	Included in above	Formed from pits C & D of Battery Howe (1) 1906
Battery Stotsenburg	16	12"	Mortar	1897-1898-1900-1942	$ 130,188	Pits C & D redesignated Battery McKinnon 1906
Battery McKinnon	8	12"	Mortar	1897-1898-1900-1942	Included in above	Formed from pits C & D of Battery Stotsenburg 1906 4 mortars to Battery Howe (2) 1918
Battery Cranston	2	10"	Disappearing	1897-1898-1898-1942	$ 55,432	Buildings built into it
Battery Miller	3	10"	Disappearing	1891-1898-1898-1918	Included in Battery Godfrey	Established from Battery Cranston 1907
Battery East	2	8"	Barbette	1897-1915	$ ?	Converted Rodman
Battery Slaughter	3	8"	Disappearing	1899-1900-1900-1917	$ 71,063	Part buried
Battery Crosby	2	6"	Disappearing	1899-1900-1900-1943	$ 59,039
Battery Chamberlin	4 2	6" 6"	Disappearing Pedestal	1903-1904-1904-1917 1920-1949	$ 100,803	1 restored
Battery Boutelle	3	5"	Balanced Pillar	1898-1901-1901-1917	$ 27,030
Battery Sherwood	2	5"	Pedestal	1900-1900-1900-1918	$ 20,355	Guns & carriages to Battery Bruff 1918
Battery Blaney	4	3"	Masking Parapet	1901-1903-1907-1920	$ 20,355	Part buried
Battery Baldwin	2	3"	Masking Parapet	1901-1903-1903-1920	$ 11,120
Source: CDSG

World War I (1917-1918)

The U.S. entry into World War I resulted in a widespread removal of large caliber coastal defense gun tubes for service in Europe. Many of the gun and mortar tubes removed were sent to arsenals for modification and mounting on mobile carriages, both wheeled and railroad. Most of the removed gun tubes never made it to Europe and were either remounted or remained at the arsenals until needed elsewhere.

Fort Winfield Scott was particularly hard hit by the World War I redistribution program. Six batteries had their guns dismounted and shipped overseas or sent to other higher priority locations.Battery Lancaster, Battery Miller, Battery Slaughter, Battery Chamberlin, Battery Boutelle, and Battery Sherwood were disarmed in this manner and only Battery Chamberlin was rearmed after the war.

All of the 12" mortar batteries were listed to lose some or all of their mortars and Battery Cranston was also listed to lose it's guns. The war ended before these listed actions could take place and these batteries were ordered to remount and retain their guns.

After the end of the war, a rapid disarmament program reduced the size of the Army and the coastal artillery to the point where most posts had to be put in caretaker status for lack of people and funds. A simultaneous program to eliminated obsolete and excess arms caused a further reduction in active batteries. Fort Winfield Scott lost four more batteries, Battery Howe, Battery Wagner, Battery Blaney and Battery Baldwin to the 1920 disarmament program. Only six batteries remained active after the 1920 disarmament program and all of those would be obsolete by the beginning of World War II.

Between 1933 and 1937 the fort was used as a base of operations for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge and the new roadways literally cut Fort Winfield Scott in two, and several of the Endicott Period Batteries were buried beneath the structures and roads.

World War II (1941-1945)

**Fort Winfield Scott World War II Battery** (edit list)
Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Notes
Battery Fort Point	4	3"	Pedestal	1942-1942-1943-1946	2 Guns from Battery Yates, Fort Baker (1) 2 Guns from Battery Kirby Beach, Fort Baker (1)
Battery AMTB - Baker Beach	2	90mm	Pedestal	1943-1943-1943-1946
Source: CDSG

Current Status

Part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area (GGNRA) administered by the National Park Service. A National Historic Site since 16 Oct 1970.

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Location: Northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, San Francisco County, California.

Maps & Images

Lat: 37.800353 Long: -122.474577

Multi Maps from ACME
Maps from Bing
Maps from Google
Elevation: '

Sources:

Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 31
Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 34
Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 98
Frazer, Robert W. (editor), Mansfield on the conditions of The Western Forts, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1963, ISBN 0-8061-1083-X, page 132-134, 135-137
U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of San Francisco, (CCA-P-SFB), 15 Nov 1945, CDSG

Links:

Visited: 22-27 Aug 2009